Dutch culture continues to attract curiosity and interest worldwide, even more so now
that many are puzzled by the shifting image of the Netherlands in the 21st century: from
a country with a long-established progressive tradition and of diffuse cosmopolitanism
to a polarized country where a part of the public opinion reverts to nationalism and
isolationism.

The book examines contemporary Dutch literature, both fiction and nonfiction, that
raises topical themes and preoccupations and documents as much as shapes the discursive
formations in society around migration, diasporic identity and the cultural
memory of colonialism, slave trade and coal mining. Transnationally oriented authors
tackle these issues in ways that appear relevant to a global audience.